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Only 1 of 100 women report sexual violence, Guess why

Bangalore Mirror

08-Jan-2017

08 Jan 2017

Bengaluru

Bangalore Mirror

Only 1 of 100 women report sexual violence, Guess why

Seven days have passed since the New Year brought with it allegations of ‘mass molestation’ of women in Bengaluru. Since then, no women have come forward to file a formal complaint but Bengaluru’s police have said they have filed FIRs based on footage. While the police have called for affected women to approach them, and CCTV footage of the night has gone viral on social media, only a handful have spoken up about their experience. Does this overwhelming silence mean that no sexual harassment could have happened? This seems unlikely. Instead, it flags the barriers that women face in reporting and seeking justice for sexual violence, which is an all-too-common experience faced by women attending mass gatherings.

“The police used their batons to poke us in our private parts. One of them said, ‘You whore, what problem do you have with working in a garment factory?’”

In April 2016, this is what one garment factory worker told me after thousands of them took to the streets to protest the revisions in the central government’s employee savings policies; several other women gave me similar accounts. As some of the protesters turned violent, the police singled out women who were peacefully protesting, subjecting them to sexual violence and verbal abuse. No formal complaints were made, and there was no investigation into these allegations.

What creates this culture of silence around reporting sexual violence? Are survivors expected to run to the police or report at the very first instance? Evidence shows that neither happens. It is very unlikely that survivors speak about sexual violence to anyone at all, let alone report it to the police. The last central government-led survey that counted the rates of under-reporting nationally, released in 2006, puts the figure at only 1 out of 100 women who face sexual violence reports this to the police.

Campaign urges people to speak out against gender violence

The Hindu

05-Dec-2016

05 Dec 2016

Bengaluru

The Hindu

Campaign urges people to speak out against gender violence

When Geetha (name changed) and her neighbours return from work to their homes in the Slum Board Colony on Mysuru Road, they walk in a huddle to prevent being attacked strangers loitering near the colony gates. “The men hit us on our stomachs when we walk home,” said Geetha. ‘The men’ she is referring to, work in a hotel nearby and harass them every evening after drinking. She and several other women, who attended a meeting on sexual harassment held in Deepanjalinagar area off Mysuru Road on Sunday, have never filed a complaint with the police.

“The women are afraid to come forward as they feel no one will support them,” said Pushpalatha, a member of Dalit Bahujan Chaluvali, “Unless women come to the police station to report these crimes, they will continue to suffer such indignity,” she stressed.

16-day campaign

Sunday’s meeting was part of an ongoing 16-day campaign in the city, called ‘Erase the shame’, on reducing the stigma around reporting gender based violence.

The programme kicked off with songs followed by a street play. NGOs dealing with gender rights, such as Sthree Jagriti Samiti, Dalit Bahujan Chaluvali, Munnade and Garment Labour Union, have tied up with Amnesty International India to hold similar programmes in various parts of the city from November 25 to December 10.

Keeping in mind the imbalance in power that makes women from poorer sections hesitate in approaching the police, these organisations are working to set up ward-level committees to deal with sexual harassment, with corporators, police and members of women’s groups on board.

“Such committees could help fix an unlit road which have been reported unsafe. Having councillors and police on board will help in moving decisions faster, while providing women a safe space to discuss issues,” said Gopika Bashi, a campaigner with Amnesty International India. A pilot ward-level committee was set up in September in Yelahanka, which has met twice so far.

For garment, daily wage and domestic workers, the imbalance in power often deters them from lodging a complaint even when they are harassed or sexually assaulted, said gender rights activist Sylvia Karpagam. “A domestic worker who complains about harassment at work can get terminated in day, and it is possible that their complaint gets brushed aside, so they rarely complain,” she added.

At work

Anita Cheria, who has been working with the garment worker community for a decade and half, said that in an industry where women work on the shop-floor and the supervisors are almost always male, the person you have to report to is also the person harassing you. “Sometimes, if favours are not given, the employee is tasked with more work. In the case of ninety percent of the women facing harassment, their solution has been to leave one factory and join another,” she added.

The campaign will be carried out for the next 15 days starting from November 25 and will end with a huge rally on December 10, which is celebrated as ‘International Human Rights Day’.

While speaking at this programme, CP Shukla remarked, “It is necessary to teach our boys to respect women.”

She added that they must ensure girls have the courage to stand up against any kind of violence. “Parents must trust their daughters and become their strongest support system,” said Shukla.

Bal, while sharing the concept behind naming the campaign as ‘Bindhast Bol’, added that it is an apt call for anyone who experiences sexual harassment to speak out without fear or shame because it is the perpetrator who is at fault, not the woman or child.

Throughout the 16-day campaign, various activities are being planned such as film screenings, flash mobs and street plays to create awareness about women’s rights. The organisations are also urging police to respond positively and sensitively when survivors of sexual violence approach them.

The NGOs have announced that if any woman who comes across or herself faces any form of sexual harassment they can immediately give a missed call on 9223300075 or share their story by calling 18002000058 which is the toll-free helpline.

RPF men won’t be able to duck duty now

The Times of India

27-Sep-2016

27 Sep 2016

mumbai

The Times of India

RPF men won’t be able to duck duty now

Long-distance train passengers on the Western line may have some respite as Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel will no longer be able to duck escort duty. E-patrolling, where personnel will have to scan their handsets against acrylic plates bearing QR codes, has kicked off in trains and at railway yards. Senior officers can now remotely check if personnel are patrolling locations assigned to them and at what time.
RPF escorts 46 long-distance trains on WR but commuters have often complained that nobody comes to their aid when in distress. “As a pilot, compartments in six trains will be fitted with the plates: Vadodara Express, Avantika Exp, Mumbai Central-Jaipur Exp and Saurashtra Exp. Personnel have to patrol around 50 locations, including railway yards, depots and alongside tracks daily. Under the e-patrolling scheme, they will have to click selfies at the spot and then scan it against the plates,” said Anand Vijay Jha, senior divisional security commissioner, RPF (WR).
‘RPF Mumbai’, a smart phone app, has been developed by Gujarat’s SM Techno Consultants for Western Railway. It can be downloaded on Android phones from the Google PlayStore. RPF personnel will be assigned a username and password. They will have to log in to the app once. “On scanning the handset, their exact latitude and longitude will be captured on the plate and will be stored on a cloud-server real-time along with timing and his photo. Personnel will have to scan their handsets at a number of locations. We are aware of the time it will take for personnel to reach a location from the other, so ducking patrol or escort duty will not be possible,” Jha said.
A common complaint on long-distance trains is the presence of unauthorised hawkers. “We have formed teams to conduct surprise crackdowns on trains. But the problem will persist on trains without pantry cars. There is a demand-supply gap and hawkers will continue to board. The railways must have authorised hawkers for trains without pantry cars,” an official said. To stop hawkers from foot overbridges and station areas, the RPF has started deducting salaries of staff in whose jurisdiction they continue to operate.
Meanwhile, nearly 500 handbooks exhorting women commuters to report sexual harassment have been distributed among travellers on WR by Amnesty International. An informational jingle, ‘Report Karo’, was released by Amnesty International along with the railways on Thursday to reach out to women who have faced violence on railway premises.

NGO, rly agencies unite to ensure women's safety

The Times of India

16-Jun-2016

16 Jun 2016

mumbai

The Times of India

NGO, rly agencies unite to ensure women's safety

Human rights NGO Amnesty International India has collaborated with railway security agencies to hold sessions on gender sensitivity and sexual harassment cases from June to September in Mumbai.
The first such session was held on Wednesday with 30 GRP and RPF officers on how to handle complaints of sexual harassment on trains and railway platforms effectively.The partnership aims at promoting and ensuring women passengers’ right to safety.

Amnesty International India partners with Western Railways for women’s safety

Punekar

15-Jun-2016

15 Jun 2016

Punekar

Amnesty International India partners with Western Railways for women’s safety

As part of the collaboration, Amnesty International India will hold sessions on gender sensitivity and sexual harassment for officials of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) in Mumbai from June to September. The first session was held today with 30 senior officials, on how officials can effectively handle complaints of sexual harassment on trains and railway platforms.

“Local trains are Mumbai’s lifeline, and this is an opportunity for us to work together for the safety of thousands of women travelers. It is encouraging to see the Western Railways & the Railway Protection Force proactively work to address concerns over women’s safety,” said Gopika Bashi, Senior Campaigner for Women’s Rights at Amnesty International India. “The tie–up will help railway officials to handle complaints of sexual harassment with greater sensitivity and awareness.”

To create awareness about the process of reporting sexual harassment, the Western Railways will play information jingles at several stations in Mumbai, including Dadar, Malad, Lower Parel, Bandra, Andheri, Borivali and Santa Cruz.

“The Railway Protection Force wants to ensure that women can approach us freely with their concerns, and that we can help promptly. We have a limited number of women police personnel to prevent sexual harassment in trains. The partnership will help increase awareness among passengers about women safety and also help us improve our existing knowledge in dealing with incidents of harassment,” said Anand Jha, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, Western Railways (Mumbai division).

The Indian Railways operates a 24-hour security helpline (182). Maharashtra’s Government Railway Police operates a number (+91983333111) which women can use to complain about sexual harassment they face during their travel.

About Ready to Report

Ready to Report is an Amnesty International India campaign to ensure that women who choose to report sexual violence can do so safely, with dignity and without facing prejudice.

Surveys show that an estimated 31 per cent of women who experience sexual violence tell someone about the incident, but only 1 per cent end up reporting it to the police, due to concerns including security, social stigma and discrimination.

Women face many barriers to being able to report crimes to the police. The website www.readytoreport.in highlights the multiple challenges that survivors of sexual violence face. The Ready to Report campaign aims to reduce barriers and change perceptions about reporting.

PERUMBAVOOR CASE - HC stays complaints authority's order

The Times of India

02-Jun-2016

02 Jun 2016

kochi

The Times of India

PERUMBAVOOR CASE - HC stays complaints authority's order

The high court on Wednesday stayed the order of Kerala State Police Complaints Authority (SPCA) that asked the Perumbavoor rapemurder case probe team to appear before in response to a complaint alleging perfunctory investigation.
Justice P B Suresh Kumar issued a stay for 10 days after considering a petition filed by inspector general Mahipal Yadav questioning the order by complaints authority chairman Justice K Narayana Kurup. The high court directed to send notices to the complaints authority and the state government. During the hearing on Tuesday , the complaints authority’s stand that the investigating team should appear before it had found favour with the high court, with the judge remarking that it would have been ideal if the investigation team responded to the directive.

The complaints authority’s counsel submitted before the court that the complaint received was regarding misconduct by the investigating officer and hence the authority interfered. The impugned order could be considered as provisional and the authority would consider the issue untrammelled by the observations made in that order, the counsel assured.

The counsel also said when an authority constituted as per law issues a summons, one should respond properly as per the procedure rather than just submitting a report before it.

The counsel representing the inspector general argued that the notice was issued by the complaints authority without jurisdiction and on the presumption that the authority has the jurisdiction. If the submission of the complaints authority was accepted and the present order of the authority was considered as preliminary , the issue of jurisdiction won’t be settled, the lawyer contended.

The court scheduled the case for next hearing on Thursday . Amnesty campaign for justice gains strength Thiruvananthapuram: Amnesty International India’s online campaign seeking justice for the Perumbavoor rape and murder victim has gained strength with over 25,000 people rallying behind the organization demanding an independent investigation into the police inaction in the case.

“Kerala’s new government must ensure justice for the victim and her family by addressing allegations of police inaction. It’s been over a month since the murder and her family says that they have still not got a copy of the FIR,“ Amnesty International India programme manager (women’s rights) Rekha Raj told newspersons here on Wednesday.

The organizers of the campaign said they submitted a petition seeking appropriate action, to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday. “Late justice is injustice. The support of government is vital to book the culprits,“ said Rekha. TNN

Amnesty plea for impartial investigation

The Hindu

02-Jun-2016

02 Jun 2016

The Hindu

Amnesty plea for impartial investigation

Over 25,000 people have joined the Amnesty International India’s campaign for an independent and transparent investigation into the alleged police inaction related to the rape and murder of a law student at Perumbavoor.

“Over the past two weeks, thousands of Amnesty International India members and supporters have joined hands to voice their concerns about the way in which the police responded to the case,” women’s rights programme manager of Amnesty International India Rekha Raj told a press conference here.

The organisation activists met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and handed over a petition in this regard.

The Times of India

06-May-2016

mnesty International India has demanded Kerala government to ensure an independent investigation into allegations of police inaction in the rape and brutal murder of a 29-year-old Ddalit woman from Perumbavoor.
The international human rights NGO said that the rape and murder of dalit woman highlights persistence of caste and gender-based violence.
“The failure of the police to investigate previous complaints about caste-based discrimination and harassment against the woman’s family must be investigated”, said Rekha Raj, programme manager of women’s rights at Amnesty International India.
She said that police inaction in cases involving violence against dalit women is unfortunately disturbingly common. “Even in this case, the police failed to act on earlier complaints from the family”, said Rekha.
A statement issued by the organisation said that the police failed to act on earlier complaints from the family as alleged by the sister of the victim.
The organisation claimed that it has a copy of a previous complaint filed by the victim’s sister in May 2014 with Ernakulam rural police alleging harassment by a neighbour.
“Dalit women face multiple levels of discrimination from the community and often from the police. The Kerala government must hold the police accountable for any inaction on their part,” said Rekha.

Getting women ready to report on Harassment

News Today

02-May-2016

02 May 2016

chennai

News Today

Getting women ready to report on Harassment

A group of youngsters one sultry evening, approached people hurrying towards the Guindy railway station to spare a few minutes and lend them their ears. It turned out they were a part of Amnesty International India’s street team. When they stopped this reporter in her tracks, she was intrigued by the subject they raised: it was a national campaign called ‘Ready to Report’.

Delving into the campaign, ‘News Today’ found it was one that helps women who wanted to report any kind of sexual violence do it safely, with dignity and without facing prejudice.

Gopika Bashi (photo on right), Women’s Rights Campaigner, Amnesty International India, the NGO that promotes and defends human rights in India, talked about how women need to be more confident while filing cases against sexual violence and know the way to file an FIR in a police station.

“We work in collaboration with women’s group and NGOs across the country. Whenever we are approached by women in Chennai who want to seek individual help, we refer them to local NGOs. If there are cases where women have faced violations and have been unable to seek justice, we verify these and may choose to launch campaigns on the issue to generate public support,” she said over phone from Bengaluru.

The ‘Ready to Report’ campaign was started in December 2014 and has gathered a lot of support over time, with more and more women joining the work force and going out into the world.

Gopika says that they have been holding workshops in corporate houses in Chennai to raise awareness about sexual violence and also how to file FIRs against sexual violence.

“We run workshops with men and women among corporates in Chennai and reached out to raise awareness, apart from raising funds. We talk about how to file an FIR, about women’s rights, addressing sexual violence. There’s a special team that reaches out to Chennai corporates,” said Gopika.

And then there is the question of gender sensitisation of the police force. So, Amnesty conducts workshops for police and women.”We directly work with the police. We lobby for specific changes at the State level, to ensure women can report sexual violence without fear.”

The main idea is to decrease the distance between women and the police. It is not easy to do that overnight, we consistently work for that, she says confidently.

Considering all the issues involved in such a programme, she concedes that “Sensitising police and women is a long-term process. It is slow, but we’ve had some impact.”

“We can’t be everywhere all the time but when there are cases, for example, cases where women haven’t been able to file an FIR, we definitely look into that,” she said.

‘Ready to Report’ campaign is currently strong in Bengaluru and Pune and the volunteers at the Chennai railway station showed that Amnesty would like to spread awareness in the city also. “It is a city where we have a lot of supporters and we do conduct events in Chennai to spread awareness,” says Gopika about the southern metropolis.

The NGO also conducts national programmes such as human rights education programme where they work with schools and colleges.

Jayashri Ramesh (photo on left), Face-to-face Fund Raising Executive of Amnesty International India, based out of Chennai, says it is a very experienced NGO. It found mention in a couple of movies like ‘Virumandi’ and ‘Mudalvan’. It does not work on just particular issues but is based on campaigns on what the nation needs.

For example, in TN, they ran a successful campaign on ‘Justice in Sri Lanka’ where they demanded a probe into human rights violations in the island nation.

WHAT IS READY TO REPORT? * If you or anyone you know reported any case of sexual violence to the police or filed an FIR, Amnesty International India would like to hear about it.

* You can visit the website www.readytoreport.in to know how to file an FIR.

* You need to fill a form available on the website and submit it to them.

* You can also donate for the cause, or give a missed call to 080-88255533 to support the campaign.

Register Women's Plaints of Abuse, IGP Orders Cops

The New Indian Express

09-Mar-2016

09 Mar 2016

bengaluru

The New Indian Express

Register Women's Plaints of Abuse, IGP Orders Cops

A week ago, Raveena (name changed), a garment worker in the city accompanied her friend to the police station to report domestic abuse. She was perplexed when the sub inspector, taking down her friend’s complaint, asked Raveena if she was married.

She said she wasn’t, and the sub inspector told her that were she married, she would know the value of a husband.

Raveena told City Express: “I am a survivor of domestic abuse myself. After much struggle, I separated from my husband and I am trying to make a living on my own. I do not wear the mangala-sutra or any other accessory signifying marriage.”

Many women like her want to come out of abusive relationships. “It is bad enough that we have to face the onslaught of society every day,” she says. “The insensitivity shown by police pushes us further into a corner.”

Many women hesitate to file complaints, in fear of apathetic officials. To sensitise police personnel about issues concerning women and to encourage women to report abuse without hesitation, Amnesty International India, in co-ordination with the Karnataka State Police, hosted Ready to Report, a forum on Women’s Day on Tuesday.

The Ready to Report programme began with a skit on abuse of women at the workplace and at home. Police officers, activists and women from different walks of life then discussed the common hurdles faced in filing complaints and how they can be overcome. Some suggestions were including gender sensitisation in school textbooks, creating awareness among women about sexual harassment and sensitising policemen.

The programme is being implemented across 10 stations in the city.

Inspector General of Police Alok Kumar said several cases of harassment were going unreported. He encouraged women to register complaints in case of abuse or violence. “Police should encourage them and register the complaints brought to the station,” he said.

Nagamani, an ASI at Koramangala Station, said the cops’ approach to registering complaints had changed. She said the Abhaya Vehicle, with the helpline number 1091, and the women’s desk in police stations had ensured that the police played a more pro-active role.

International Business Times

08-Mar-2016

Police in the south Indian state of Karnataka have met with local women to discuss the issue of under-reporting of sexual violence in India. More than 40 women from different backgrounds, including garment worker unions and domestic violence activists, were involved in the discussion held on 8 March, International Women’s Day.

The meeting was organised by the Karnataka State Police and Amnesty International India in Bangalore, where a discussion was held about reasons why official reporting of crimes on sexual violence is only 1% in the country. Among the women present were also students, who contributed to coming up with possible interventions that would enable women to report sexual violence.

Gopika Bashi, women’s rights campaigner at Amnesty International India, said: “This is the first of many dialogues for women to talk in safe spaces about their concerns about reporting sexual violence to the police, and for the police to respond. It helps build stronger relationships between the police and women, which we need to make our cities human rights friendly.”

Yamuna G, a member of the Nayandhali garment’s workers union, attended the discussion as well and said that it was crucial for people to “look beyond the law” and engage in ways that police and communities could work more closely together to combat the “hidden pressures” preventing women from reporting sexual violence.

India has been under the spotlight for incidents of sexual assault since the horrific 2012 gang rape in New Delhi made international headlines. The attack resulted in the 23-year-old victim losing her life as a result of the injuries she faced at the hands of her rapists, sparking nationwide protests demanding more action to be taken to curb violence against women.

Despite prompt strict laws in place, a number of women do not report crimes of sexual violence in the country. The reasons behind this vary widely from being threatened by their attackers if they tell anyone or fear of being “dishonoured” or shunned by society.

Alok Kumar, inspector general in the Karnataka Police, said: “We want to celebrate Women’s Day in a meaningful manner. Today we have provided a platform for women to share their concerns with police officials and seek redress. We want to encourage women to talk about their challenges. They should feel confident to approach the police with their problems.”

How should cops deal with women filing FIRs?

Citizen Matters

04-Mar-2016

04 Mar 2016

bengaluru

Citizen Matters

How should cops deal with women filing FIRs?

If you are a women, the chances are that you have been at the receiving end of sexual harassment in some form or the other; being groped on a moving bus or being catcalled at, or even being made to listen to sexist jokes. Unfortunately, what happens in most cases is that women accept it as a sad reality of living in India. And unless the assualt is severe, very few women actually come forward to report it to the police. According to Amnesty International, only 1 in every 100 women reports sexual violence.

To empower women to come forward to report, Amnesty International India is running an online and on-ground campaign called #WhenIFileAnFIR this Women’s Day. The campaign which went live on March 1st, asks for women to share videos about what they want from the police when they file an FIR pertaining to sexual violence. This campaign comes on the heels of the NGO’s Ready To Report campaign which was launched in collaboration with the Bengaluru City Police in July 2015, to enable women in the city to report sexual violence with safety and dignity. As part of the campaign, police officials in around 10 police stations around Bengaluru took a pledge to ensure that women feel safe and confident while filing an FIR. Several gender sensitisation workshops to be held at the stations have been planned too.

Gopika Bashi, Women’s Rights Researcher and Campaigner at Amnesty, shares what some police constables stated at the workshop which was held at the Indira Nagar police station: “Today, I understood the public’s sense of fear and discomfort with the police,” and “I learned that we must treat each and every case equally”. “Do not ask me to go to another police station” Amnesty has created a microsite which has information on the #WhenIFileAnFIR campaign. Videos, photos and social feeds that women share in response to the campaign will be collated here. And the responses received so far have been varied, with women being vocal about their expectations from police personnel, as well as recounting some of their experiences. One young woman says, “When I file an FIR, don’t ask me to go to another police station“. Another says, “When I file an FIR, I want to feel safe walking into the police station at night”.

A reaction from a woman who was sexually assaulted is particularly disturbing. She says, “I addressed the complaint to the police inspector and wrote the subject – ‘Kidnap, sexual assault and molestation’. They told me not to mention sexual assault and kidnap, and asked me to keep only molestation in the subject.”

To participate in the campaign, all you need to do is take a short video/photo where you express yourself. Keep the message short and clear. For eg: “When I File An FIR, I don’t want to be judged”. Upload your video/photo on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc) with the hashtag, #WhenIFileAnFIR.

For more information on the campaign, visit www.readytoreport.in/WhenIFileAnFIR.

Police to hear out women’s concerns

Amnesty is also organising a roundtable discussion on March 8th at the Mangala Kalyana Mandapam in Koramangala from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm. This discussion is being organised in collaboration with the Karnataka State Police’s ‘Gender Sensitisation Police and People Friendly Project’.

Women from diverse backgrounds, including garment workers and young women, will be part of the discussions. The event will consist of round-table group discussions with mixed groups of police officials and women, during which women will have an opportunity to discuss their challenges and concerns related to reporting sexual violence. Around 40 women and 15 fifteen city police personnel from across the city are expected to attend.

Gopika says, “We will be sharing a compilation of the responses we receive from the #WhenIFileAnFIR campaign with the police officials at the roundtable.” Through this, police officials could possibly become cognizant of the behaviour (of police officials) that does or does not help women report sexual violence in a safe and dignified manner.

Gopika adds, “Unlike Delhi or Maharashtra, the Karnataka Police currently does not have guidelines that need to be followed for reporting and investigation of sexual crimes. These guidelines are typically issued by the DGP. What we are looking to do in the long run is ensure that there are government mechanisms in place which will list out the due process to be followed, and the systems to support this.”

Five ways tech is crowdsourcing women’s empowerment

The Guardian

03-Feb-2016

Around the world, women’s rights advocates are crowdsourcing their own data rather than relying on institutional datasets.

Citizen-generated data is especially important for women’s rights issues. In many countries the lack of women in positions of institutional power, combined with slow, bureaucratic systems and a lack of prioritisation of women’s rights issues means data isn’t gathered on relevant topics, let alone appropriately responded to by the state.

Even when data is gathered by institutions, societal pressures may mean it remains inadequate. In the case of gender-based violence, for instance, women often suffer in silence, worrying nobody will believe them or that they will be blamed. Providing a way for women to contribute data anonymously or, if they so choose, with their own details, can be key to documenting violence and understanding the scale of a problem, and thus deciding upon appropriate responses.

Crowdsourcing data on street harassment in Egypt
Using open source platform Ushahidi, HarassMap provides women with a way to document incidences of street harassment. The project, which began in 2010, is raising awareness of how common street harassment is, giving women’s rights advocates a concrete way to highlight the scale of the problem.

As with any dataset, it has its limitations. Naturally, reports cannot be verified, and because contributions to the data are voluntary rather than systematic, the data isn’t geographically comprehensive. There is a natural self-selection bias in terms of the women who contribute – they are part of the population with access to the technology and skills needed to contribute. Despite this, it has provoked discussion around the treatment of women on the streets of Cairo, and is still one of the most talked about initiatives of this kind.

Documenting experiences of reporting sexual harassment and violence to the police in India
Last year, The Ladies Finger, a women’s zine based in India, partnered with Amnesty International to support its Ready to Report campaign, which aimed to make it easier for survivors of sexual violence to file a police complaint. Using social media and through word of mouth, it asked the community if they had experiences to share about reporting sexual assault and harassment to the police. Using these crowdsourced leads, The Ladies Finger’s reporters spoke to people willing to share their experiences and put together a series of detailed contextualised stories. They included a piece that evoked a national outcry and spurred the Uttar Pradesh government to make an arrest for stalking, after six months of inaction.

Nisha Susan, editor of The Ladies Finger, says victim shaming when these reports of violence take place is “notorious” and a lot of this goes undocumented. By asking their networks to share the stories, they shed light on a common, but often-ignored pattern of women being treated disrespectfully when reporting violence to the police.

Reporting sexual violence in Syria
Women Under Siege is a global project by Women’s Media Centre that is investigating how rape and sexual violence is used in conflicts. Its Syria project crowdsources data on sexual violence in the war-torn country. Like HarassMap, it uses the Ushahidi platform to geolocate where acts of sexual violence take place. Where possible, initial reports are contextualised with deeper media reports around the case in question.

Criticism of the initiative centres around the validity of the data, as verifying the incidents is difficult given the context. But gathering the data is a step towards making sure that incidences of sexual violence aren’t forgotten or ignored, and may eventually be used to bring perpetrators to justice.

Finding respectful gynaecologists in India
After recognising that many women in her personal networks were having bad experiences with gynaecologists in India, Delhi-based Amba Azaad began – with the help of her friends – putting together a list of gynaecologists who had treated patients respectfully called Gynaecologists We Trust. As the site says, “Finding doctors who are on our side is hard enough, and when it comes to something as intimate as our internal plumbing, it’s even more difficult.”

For now, the initiative uses a simple Google Docs sheet, and focuses on the positive, rather than the negative; patients are encouraged to write down only gynaecologists with whom they have had good experiences, rather than doctors to avoid. As with many of the other initiatives in similar spaces, it relies on contributors being trustworthy and submitting accurate data, as anybody can contribute.

Ending tech-related violence against women
In 2011, Take Back the Tech, an initiative from the Association for Progressive Communications, started a map gathering incidences of tech-related violence against women. Campaign coordinator Sara Baker says crowdsourcing data on this topic is particularly useful as “victims/survivors are often forced to tell their stories repeatedly in an attempt to access justice with little to no action taken on the part of authorities or intermediaries”. Rather than telling that story multiple times and seeing it go nowhere, their initiative gives people “the opportunity to make their experience visible (even if anonymously) and makes them feel like someone is listening and taking action”.

Crucially, the data gathered through Take Back the Tech’s efforts is actively used in its advocacy against online violence against women, and it works with local partners to make sure it feeds into country-based advocacy too. Last year, it commissioned an analysis of the data gathered in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish between 2012 and mid-2014, which provided useful insights into who faces this kind of violence, their experiences and typical responses, allowing it to shape their advocacy strategies appropriately. For women’s rights organisations focusing on the digital space, this kind of data can be invaluable, helping them unite people facing violence online.

Rights group seeks probe into police inaction over rape complaints in Chhattisgarh

Reuters

28-Jan-2016

28 Jan 2016

Reuters

Rights group seeks probe into police inaction over rape complaints in Chhattisgarh

Police in Chhattisgarh face mounting criticism for delays in registering complaints of rape during operations against Maoist rebels, with Amnesty International India demanding an independent probe into police inaction.

One of India’s poorest regions, Chhattisgarh has seen major security operations to flush out Maoist rebels who say they are fighting for the rights of poor farmers and landless labourers to land and a greater claim on mineral wealth.

According to Amnesty’s India office, 13 women from the Adivasi group said they were raped and sexually assaulted by police and security forces during anti-Maoist raids in Nendra village between Jan. 11 and 14.

“One policeman raped me and said, ‘We will burn down your houses. If it wasn’t daytime, we would have killed you.'”

Despite changes to India’s anti-rape laws, which make it mandatory for police to file a case as soon as a sexual violence complaint is brought to them, it took a week for the first information report (FIR) or official complaint to be recorded, a lawyer for the women said.

“Instead of helping the women, the police have made it difficult for them at every step,” human rights lawyer Shalini Gera told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“And we feel even the filing of the FIR is just a bureaucratic step and the investigation will not be started any time soon, since there is no indication on when the statements of the complainants will be recorded.”

Rape victims in India have to contend with an archaic, poorly funded and insensitive criminal justice system, campaigners say.

Those brave enough to go to the police face numerous challenges such as hostile police officers, unsympathetic forensic examinations, a lack of counselling, shoddy police investigations and weak prosecutions in the courts, they say.

The tribal women, who left their children and homes to camp at the district headquarters in Bijapur to ensure their complaint was heard, travelled back to their forest homes after medical tests were done last week.

Official statements from the women are required for the probe to proceed.

“The team investigating the case must also be sensitive towards the affected women, and ensure that their statements are recorded in a manner that takes their safety and convenience into account,” said Gopika Bashi, women’s rights campaigner at Amnesty International India.

In emailed comments to the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Bashi called for a swift, thorough investigation into the rape allegations. Critics say police have dragged their feet over similar reports of sexual violence in the region last year.

“Now that the FIR has been registered in the Nendra case, the Chhattisgarh police must ensure an independent and impartial investigation, since the alleged perpetrators include police officials,” she said.

Bijapur Police Superintendant K L Dhruv said the investigation would begin once the basic paperwork was completed.

“How soon it is wrapped up depends on the investigating officer,” Dhruv told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Huffington Post

28-Jan-2016

Police in Chhattisgarh face mounting criticism for delays in registering complaints of rape during operations against Maoist rebels, with Amnesty International India demanding an independent probe into police inaction.

One of India’s poorest regions, Chhattisgarh has seen major security operations to flush out Maoist rebels who say they are fighting for the rights of poor farmers and landless labourers to land and a greater claim on mineral wealth.

According to Amnesty’s India office, 13 women from the Adivasi group said they were raped and sexually assaulted by police and security forces during anti-Maoist raids in Nendra village between January 11 and 14.

“One policeman raped me and said, ‘We will burn down your houses. If it wasn’t daytime, we would have killed you.'”

Despite changes to India’s anti-rape laws, which make it mandatory for police to file a case as soon as a sexual violence complaint is brought to them, it took a week for the first information report (FIR) or official complaint to be recorded, a lawyer for the women said.

“Instead of helping the women, the police have made it difficult for them at every step,” human rights lawyer Shalini Gera told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“And we feel even the filing of the FIR is just a bureaucratic step and the investigation will not be started any time soon, since there is no indication on when the statements of the complainants will be recorded.”

Rape victims in India have to contend with an archaic, poorly funded and insensitive criminal justice system, campaigners say.

Those brave enough to go to the police face numerous challenges such as hostile police officers, unsympathetic forensic examinations, a lack of counselling, shoddy police investigations and weak prosecutions in the courts, they say.

The tribal women, who left their children and homes to camp at the district headquarters in Bijapur to ensure their complaint was heard, travelled back to their forest homes after medical tests were done last week.

Official statements from the women are required for the probe to proceed.

“The team investigating the case must also be sensitive towards the affected women, and ensure that their statements are recorded in a manner that takes their safety and convenience into account,” said Gopika Bakshi, women’s rights campaigner at Amnesty International India.

In emailed comments to the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Bakshi called for a swift, thorough investigation into the rape allegations. Critics say police have dragged their feet over similar reports of sexual violence in the region last year.

“Now that the FIR has been registered in the Nendra case, the Chhattisgarh police must ensure an independent and impartial investigation, since the alleged perpetrators include police officials,” she said.

Bijapur Police Superintendant K L Dhruv said the investigation would begin once the basic paperwork was completed.

“How soon it is wrapped up depends on the investigating officer,” Dhruv told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The Indian Express

20-Nov-2015

Amnesty International India has started a campaign to seek justice for the two Nepalese women who were allegedly sexual assaulted for months by a Saudi diplomat and others at his residence in Gurgaon.

The organisation has also sent a petition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding justice and reparation for the two women, who had been employed as domestic workers at the apartment of Majed Hassan Ashoor.

“Indian and Saudi Arabian authorities must work together to deliver justice and reparation for the two Nepalese women who were raped and assaulted repeatedly, allegedly by a Saudi Arabian diplomat and others,” the NGO said in a statement on Thursday.

The two women, aged 44 and 20, were rescued by the Haryana Police during a raid on Ashoor’s apartment on September 9. The women told the police that they had been forcibly confined, starved, repeatedly raped and assaulted by the diplomat and his “guests” over months.

However, the Saudi Arabian Embassy had denied the allegations and claimed that the police raid on the diplomat’s residence was a breach of diplomatic conventions. Amid an outcry over the issue and demands for his arrest, Ashoor had returned to Saudi Arabia on September 16.

Confirming the news of his return, the Ministry of External Affairs had said that the diplomat was protected by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

The Haryana Police have registered a criminal case against six unnamed persons but are yet to file charges.
Amnesty International India Thursday demanded a prompt investigation into the allegations and said that if needed, Ashoor should be extradited by Saudi Arabia.

“Diplomatic immunity must not lead to impunity for human rights abuses,” said Gopika Bashi, women’s rights campaigner with the NGO.

“Authorities in India must promptly investigate the allegations, charge those suspected and seek their extradition from Saudi Arabia for prosecution, if required. The Saudi Arabian government, on its part, must not use the shield of diplomatic immunity to protect anyone, and must extradite suspects to India, if the need arises,” she said.
Both survivors, who left for Nepal soon after their rescue, are now staying in a shelter home in Kathmandu and receiving psychological counselling.

Recalling the ordeal they went through, one of them said, “The sooner I get justice, the better. Three countries are involved in this. We have faced so many problems and we struggled a lot… we need justice. Arrest whoever was involved. It was like a nightmare for us. The only thing I want is justice and for them to be put in jail.”
The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, to which India and Saudi Arabia are state parties, grants diplomats immunity from criminal prosecution by a receiving state.

Diplomatic immunity is meant to enable diplomats to carry out their work without fearing intimidation or harassment by the receiving state. However, the treaty also states that diplomats enjoying immunities have a duty to respect the laws of the receiving state.

Who needs a Khap when you’ve got the UP police? The story behind the ‘rape diktat’ against two Dalit sisters

NewsLaundry

03-Sep-2015

03 Sep 2015

NewsLaundry

Who needs a Khap when you’ve got the UP police? The story behind the ‘rape diktat’ against two Dalit sisters

Sankrod in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh is everything that BR Ambedkar described an Indian village to be. In fact, it is not just a sink of localism, a den of ignorance, narrow mindedness and communalism; it is much worse. The village has segregated colonies for different communities, much of its population has never gone to school, and it has electricity for only two hours at night. There’s no running water – most houses have hand-pumps, and the village has one semi-pucca road that trifurcates into three narrow dusty lanes.

Sankrod, one would assume, then, is far from the madding crowd – tucked somewhere in the rural hinterland.

It is not.

It is an hour’s bumpy ride – a little more than 30 kilometeres across the Yamuna – from Delhi University, arguably India’s most reputed centre for higher education.

Sankrod has been in the news of late (not so much in the Indian media as the international media, but we will get to that later). Initial reports suggested that a “Khap Panchayat” in the village had ordered the rape of two Dalit sisters as retribution for their brother eloping with a Jat girl, following which one of the sisters petitioned the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court took cognisance and has asked the UP government to submit a report by September 14. The international humanitarian non-governmental organisation, Amnesty International, too, took the case up and floated an online petition seeking government intervention. The foreign media, consequently, started pursuing the story with a missionary zeal.

Now, though, media reports have appeared that seem to imply that there was no Khap and no diktat. BBC, yesterday, carried an investigative report headlined, “Did India village council really order rape of two sisters?” Soon, Indian media organisations followed suit with similar reports, quoting Sankrod’s villagers, on how there was perhaps no Khap and no rape order. This after carrying stories with headlines like “Rape the sister, says UP Khap Panchayat for brother’s action”.

So what really happened? Why did media organisations somersault on the Khap narrative? Was the rape diktat a figment of someone’s imagination that the media lapped up without double-checking?

I went to the village to talk to people from both the communities and cops from the UP police. The truth, I discovered, is much more complex.

First, a chronology of events.

April 22, 2015: Ravi (24), from the Jatav caste, and K (21) from the Jat community, disappear from the village.

May 2, 2015: Ravi and K surrender before Delhi Police at the Mehrauli Police Station. Police records accessed by Newslaundry acknowledge the same. In her statement, K says she is pregnant with Ravi’s child – and has run away on her own will because she is being tortured by her family. She is sent to Nari Niketan, a shelter home for women.

May 6, 2015: K is produced in the court of a metropolitan magistrate to record her statement under Section 164, Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The magistrate, however, refuses to record her statement on the ground that no case is registered against anyone. K refuses to go back to Nari Niketan but agrees to go to her maternal uncle’s place in Delhi. Again, Delhi police records acknowledge the handing over of K from Nari Niketan to her uncle.

May 19, 2015: K (who is now back in Sankrod at her parents’ place) again disappears.

May 28, 2015: K and Ravi are found in Meerut and the police there hand them over to Baghpat police (accounts vary as to how they ended up in Meerut). They are taken to Baghpat, where K is handed over to her father. Ravi is booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for purportedly possessing poppy husk and jailed.

*************

No one in the Dalit colony of Sankrod knows anything. Not even the next-door neighbours. “We are poor people – we keep to ourselves,” says a middle-aged woman, as she slices potatoes outside her house that shares a wall with Ravi’s house. Another young man tells me he is a daily wage labourer and is away most of the time. “I don’t know what exactly happened.”

The Jat part of the village is more forthcoming, though. “All this is nonsense peddled by you people sitting in the city – there was no Khap,” an old man tells me. Another elderly man adds that there has not been a Khap meeting in years. Were there threats issued by the Jats then? “Look at the girl’s father – he’s so weak that if you slap him once he won’t be able to stand up. How can he threaten anyone?” asks the man.

K’s father is indeed thin and diminutive. Dressed in an off-white kurta-pajama, he doesn’t utter a word when I ask him his what really happened. Instead, a burly bidi-smoking man takes my questions on his behalf. He introduces himself as an “ordinary resident” of the village, but everyone around refers to him as Netaji. Clad in a neat kurta-pajama with a gamcha around his neck, Netaji stands out with his crisp voice. “Are you related to any political party?” I ask. “I am a Lok Dal worker,” he tells me nonchalantly, as he chain-smokes his bidis.

“The boy’s father, Dharampal, was in the Army, his son and daughter-in-law are cops in Delhi. They are rich. How can we threaten them?” he asks me. Everyone around him pitches in, earnestly trying to convince me that the girl’s family is too poor to possibly harass anyone. “Look at this frail cow – she is our only source of income. Just because they are from a lower caste, it doesn’t mean we can harass them,” the girl’s elder brother, who claims to be a truck driver, tells me

“The truth is, she [K] was lured by the boy on the pretext that he’ll give her a job,” Netaji tells me. So, they were never in love? “No, not at all. She was happily married to a man in Haryana,” he says.

What about the girl’s statement to the police where she alleges ill-treatment by the family? “All of that was prompted out of our girl forcibly. The boy’s brother is, after all, a constable in Delhi Police,” he asserts. Then why did she run away the second time? “They tricked her into it. The boy had all her education certificates, so she had gone to collect it, but they kidnapped her.”

When I ask him about the Khap, Netaji insists there was no Khap. He is vociferously backed by everyone sitting around him. “You can ask anyone you want to; it is all concocted,” says a strapping man, who identifies himself as the girl’s uncle. A Khap, he explains, cannot sit like that. “You need the permission of the district administration. Besides, for a Khap to be legitimate, there has to be at least 360 families,” he tells me.

The men surrounding K’s father are adamant that they will not settle for anything less than the strictest punishment for Ravi. “He and his brother raped our daughter, her life is destroyed,” they say. Soon, there is a scathing attack on the “character” of Ravi and his father. “Ask everyone, his father killed his first wife. And now Ravi is having an affair with his step-mother,” says Netaji. Everyone nods in agreement. Suddenly, all of them seem to have a story about Ravi and his father’s womanising ways.

When they finish with their anecdotes, I insist that I want to speak to K directly. I am led to a room on the roof. One can see Ravi’s house from the roof. She is wearing a floral-patterned salwar-kameez, looks hassled and refuses to make eye contact with me. When I ask her if she was ever in love with Ravi, she tells me she hardly knew him, staring blankly into space.

Question: “But what about your statement to the police where you claim to have been in love with him for the last three years?”

K: “I was pressured into saying that, I don’t even know him properly.”

Q: “Why did you go the second time, then?”

K: “He had my videos and certificates and he sent a kid to ask me to come outside the village and collect them. I went there and he kidnapped me.”

Q: “Was he alone?”

K: “No, he was with two of his friends. He was on a bike and the other too, on another. They sedated me. I woke up in a train to Jammu.”

Q: “What did you do in Jammu?”

K: “I don’t know – he probably wanted to sell drugs there.”

K then tells me they came back to Meerut, from where, she claims, she called up her brother.

Q: “Where did you get a phone?”

K: “I got it from someone on the road.”

Q: “But wasn’t Ravi around?”

K: “I don’t know; he had a black bag, which he kept asking me to hold. I think it had drugs.”

According to K, she was rescued by the police, and taken to the police station. Ravi, she says, was arrested.

Dharampal, Ravi’s father, recounts a completely different version of events as we speak on the roof of his house. Bespectacled and wearing a light blue checked short, he doesn’t quite fit my image of a womaniser.

“The two have been in love for three years – and we were opposed to it because we knew it would mean trouble for us,” he tells me.

Dharampal claims that it was he who accompanied the duo to the police station in Meerut. “I’ve been receiving threat calls from the girl’s family to locate them and get her back. So the moment I found out they were in Meerut at one of our relatives’ place, I rushed there and took them to the nearest police station,” he tells me.

According to Dharampal, it was on his insistence that the two turned themselves in to the Delhi police the first time too. “We have to live here, and we respect the social norms here,” he said. His wife, who looks much younger than him, joins us, but barely speaks

But who told him there was a Khap? “I was threatened by the girl’s uncle that the Khap has decided he [Ravi] would be taught a lesson – ladki ka badla ladki se lenge,” they had told me. When I tell him that people in the village – even the non-Jats – say there was no Khap, he says the Jats never informed anyone. “Decisions like these are always unilateral. The Jats have always dominated us.”

Question: “But how do you know there was a Khap?”

Dharmapal: “See, you have to understand…it is always like that. It’s a congregation of Jats. No one else is allowed.”

Q: “You are a retired army man [Dharampal retired as a Sub-Naik], your son is a cop and you’re better off than the girl’s family. Didn’t you try seeking help?”

D:“The Jats call the shots here. No one wants to mess with them and I am just a private security guard in Delhi now.”

Q: “Why didn’t you approach your company?”

D: “I retired in 2001. I don’t even know where my company is posted. Those days, we didn’t have mobile phones like now – I don’t know how to get in touch with them.”

************

As the day progresses, a few people in the Dalit and Muslim colonies lose some of their initial reticence. One young man, who tells me repeatedly in the course our conversation not to name him, says the couple had been in love for a long time. “Ravi used to go for computer classes to Khekada (a one-street town some distance away), where K also went to school. I have often seen them hang around together in the market there,” he tells me. Another young Muslim girl, much to her mother’s consternation, tells me K used to often pack food for Ravi when he went for his computer classes. “You will get all of us killed!” the mother chides her as I press her for more information. Another youth, who is preparing to be a bank clerk in Delhi, says the two definitely liked each other. “K’s family also knew about it, that’s why they forced her to marry someone else,” he claims.

But all this is tittle-tattle – not reason enough to come to a conclusion on the story.

The police’s handling of the case, though, makes the kidnapping narrative seem dubious.

On May 21, Satish, a cousin of Ravi, was picked up from Delhi by sub-inspector Aman Singh of Baghpat Police. Remarkably, there was no warrant or case registered against Satish. According to the petition submitted by Ravi’s sister in the Supreme Court, Satish was kept in custody for three days in Baghpat and tortured when he failed to furnish information about the duo’s whereabouts. Incidentally, records in the Welcome police station in Delhi acknowledge that Satish was taken away by Singh and without any charges.

Then on May 24, another relative of Ravi, Naresh, was picked up by Singh without any charges. This time, though, Singh didn’t even bother informing the Delhi Police. However, transcripts of a telephonic conversation (part of the petition) between Singh and Ravi’s brother reveal that Naresh was indeed in Singh’s custody. Singh, in the conversation, threatens Ravi’s brother of dire consequences if he approached the court. (Ravi’s brother, a constable in Delhi Police, had started recording all conversations on his phone.)

Likewise, the Baghpat police’s version of May 28 (the day the K and Ravi were handed over by Meerut police to Baghpat police) is riddled with inconsistencies. Meerut police’s records show that the duo was handed over to Baghpat police in the wee hours of the morning, from where they were taken to Baghpat. Curiously, according to the First Information Report against Ravi, he was apprehended by the Baghpat police for being in possession of poppy husk later in the day at 6:12 in the evening. The FIR that charges Ravi under the NDPS Act states that Ravi was picked up by Singh while he was on patrolling duty in Baghpat.

The transcripts of another telephonic conversation (also part of the petition) between the Station House Officer of Khekada Police Station, Subodh Yadav, and Ravi’s brother plugs further holes in the police’s theory. The conversation has Yadav admitting quite explicitly that Ravi was being falsely implicated. Yadav says he could have pressed even more serious charges as desired by the girl’s family.

Singh has since been transferred to another police station. Yadav refused to comment, and directed me to the Circle Officer, who I was told is away on leave.

Cops who have been deployed in the village to “protect” Ravi’s family are convinced that the Dalit family’s allegations are false. “They are just taking advantage of being Dalits,” a beat constable tells me, whom I later see sharing a cigarette with Netaji -– a man he’s supposed to defend the family from.

The Sankrod story reveals many inconvenient truths. The one about India’s caste realities is the most obvious. But even that is layered. As an elderly Jat man in the village points out: how can an impoverished Jat family, with one frail cow and no land, harass a seemingly well-off Jatav family? Where is the money to bribe the cops, after all? An answer to that lies in the caste make-up of Uttar Pradesh’s police and bureaucracy. Almost all cops handling the case are Jats or Yadavs – castes that fall in the middle of the country’s complex caste hierarchy. Not one cop I spoke to was sympathetic about the Dalit family’s plight because, well, they were all either Yadavs or Jats.

According to a 2009 study, UP has the highest difference among states when it comes to actual number of Scheduled Caste cops in the police force and the government-approved reserved number. According to the study, the state has 7.1per cent SC cops, although the state government’s policy mandates for a presence of 21 per cent. That is a difference of almost 14 per cent.

The less obvious but perhaps even more jarring takeaway from the story is the international media’s fascination — often at the cost of facts – with all things primeval about India. Here are a few headlines that the international media went with:

Al Jazeera: India village council orders rape of two sisters

Time: Two Indian Sisters Ordered to Be Raped by Village Council Beg Supreme Court for Help

The Daily Beast: Indian Village Orders Gang-Rape Of 2 Sisters

The Independent: Indian sisters told they will be repeatedly gang-raped as punishment for their brother’s crime launch appeal at Supreme Court

It is understandable that without reporters on ground (and with Khaps’ notorious history) it is difficult to ascertain whether a diktat was really passed by a Khap Panchayat, but it is strange that they should refer to Khaps as a “local village council”.

Considering that Khaps have been an object of interest for the foreign media for a while, it is difficult to believe that organisations like Al Jazeera and Time are unaware of the fact that Khaps are not local village councils but extra-constitutional bodies. A local village council in the Indian administrative structure is a democratic institution and is called a Panchayat.

Beyond the rhetoric of Khap condemnation, this episode carries a much more important story that people ought to know: about how the police often intimidate the people it is meant to protect. Here perhaps, the Indian media is equally guilty. Almost all reports in the mainstream media have focused on the supposed Khap order when the Supreme Court petition filed by Ravi’s sister is against the UP police’s harassment.

The UP police, unlike a Khap Panchayat, is part of the Indian state’s justice delivery mechanism. Its brazen misuse of power is surely more problematic – and should ideally have been more newsworthy than a supposed Khap diktat.

Why do Indian women cop out?

Tehelka

02-Aug-2015

02 Aug 2015

bengaluru

Tehelka

Why do Indian women cop out?

Do women in India confidently walk into a police station? The answer is no. However, if she happens to be a policewoman then she might. The fear of the police is higher among women and that is the reason why they dread the thought of even entering a police station to file a complaint. This is a claim which is further substantiated by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics. According to the NCRB, only one percent of women report to the police if they are sexually attacked. It is appalling to find that women are averse to approaching the police in spite of setting up special women’s police stations in several states.

So, to restore women’s faith in the police force, the Bengaluru police along with Amnesty International India launched a new initiative called ‘Bengaluru, Get Ready to Report’. The project is aimed at encouraging women to report any misdeeds against them to the police without fear.

When the Ashoka Nagar Police Station and nine others in Bengaluru opened their doors to girls to see how they operate, many took up the opportunity to see something which would otherwise send a chill down their spine.

Deepa, a student who saw a police station for the first time, says, “I was apprehensive initially but since we were in a group, I felt bold enough to enter. I saw the fir desk and the cells. I also got a firsthand account of how a police station functions.”

But the big question remains: Why do women fear to approach the police even when in distress?

Stating lack of interaction as the reason behind the apprehension about the police, Gopika Bashi, Amnesty International India’s women’s rights campaigner, says, “For most women, faith in the police department is zero as from a very young age they hear stories of harassment. This is an area where the police have to change themselves.”

However, Karnataka cops in general and Bengaluru police in particular do not have a very negative image among the people. In Bengaluru, every senior officer is active on social media platforms and is accessible through Twitter and Facebook.

They are also making serious efforts to change the public perception towards the police by partnering with Amnesty International India.

The biggest problem with the city is that even the smallest incident gets highlighted.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner MN Reddi tells Tehelka, “Only when the interaction between the public and the police increases will the law and order situation improve. I want to make the police more approachable and friendly, especially towards women.”

Being a cosmopolitan city, the constabulary is being trained to communicate in other frequently spoken languages such as English and Hindi. They are also becoming more tech savvy with local police stations creating WhatsApp groups for citizens in their respective localities to get frequent updates.

The Twitter handle of the Bengaluru police commissioner @CPBlr has over a million followers.

But while the campaign has kicked off in Bengaluru in a big way, the concern is whether it can be implemented in other states or not. Compared to Karnataka, many other states in the country are not very safe for women and the policemen are not as pragmatic as the ones in the state.

Admitting the problems involved in implementing the campaign in other states, Aakar Patel, Executive Director of Amnesty International India, says, “If one observes what happens in Delhi or in other states of north India, a lot has to be done for the police to build trust.”

But the biggest question that remains is why women tend to avoid policemen like the plague?

Attributing lack of sensitivity among junior level officers and constables towards women as the reason, a women’s rights activist says, “A corrupt system and an unholy nexus between the lower level policemen and the miscreants portray the entire force in a bad light. The efforts that go into establishing the evidence in several cases require a lot of effort and the same proves beyond the means of the under-trained and over-burdened police force.”

While ‘Bengaluru, Get Ready to Report’ campaign may be a small step in the right direction, it is hoped that this initiative brings about a change in the perception of women towards the police force.

‘Your Police’ to make it easy for Bangaloreans to report sexual violence

Citizen Matters

27-Jul-2015

27 Jul 2015

bengaluru

Citizen Matters

‘Your Police’ to make it easy for Bangaloreans to report sexual violence

Dhanya M, an HR Consultant, had stopped at Empire Restaurant in Frazer Town to pick up food. As she made her way through the crowd, a man ‘accidentally’ touched her breasts. When Dhanya questioned him, the man feigned ignorance. His friend too joined in to defend him, while the crowd merely stood by. The excuse the friend gave was this: “Please forgive him. He is drunk!” After a five minute argument, where sentences like, “Being drunk is no excuse to molest”, and “What if he did this to your sister?” were uttered, the two men apologised and left. Though Dhanya was shaken by what happened, she carried on, without considering the possibility of reporting the incident to the police. While sexual violence and harassment against women is not uncommon, it often goes unreported. According to the National Family Health Survey 2005-2006, though 30% of women who experience sexual violence tell someone about it, only 1% of them actually proceed to report it (Source: Ready to Report). The reasons for this are many – societal stigma, being unaware of the process, reservations in approaching the police, fear of the judicial process.

To enable and empower women to be able to report sexual violence and harassment with safety and dignity, the Bengaluru City Police (BCP) joined hands with Amnesty International India to launch the ‘Ready to Report’ campaign. Police Commissioner MN Reddi inaugurated the campaign at the Ashok Nagar police station in Bengaluru, on the morning of Saturday June 25th 2015. Snapshots from the launch Addressing the gathering at the launch, MN Reddi said, “We want to encourage women to report instances of sexual abuse or harassment to the police without any fear. The city police is geared up to act and will ensure that every FIR is registered and due process is followed.” He then proceeded to inaugurate a virtual kiosk where people could learn how to file an First Information Report (FIR).

The kiosk offered a simulated experience of what it was like inside a police station. People could try on a headset that took them on a virtual tour of the police station and the steps to file an FIR in English and Kannada. This served to let people know that there was no reason for them to feel intimidated about approaching the police, and also made them aware about the reporting process. A member of Amnesty International said that the kiosk was moved to Mantri Mall in Malleswaram in the latter half of the day to bring about awareness.

A mural based on the theme of women’s safety was painted on the wall of Ashok Nagar police station by artist Ullas Hydoor and others. The Commissioner, along with a few other senior officers too filled in small patches of the mural with spray paint canisters. The Commissioner mentioned that BCP had hit the 1 million mark on social media with 5 lakh followers each on Facebook and Twitter. He added that they were also looking to start using Whatsapp, where citizens would be able to reach out to the police through the mobile messaging platform. Police and citizens get ready to report To start with, the Ready to Report initiative has been introduced in 10 police stations across Bengaluru – Yeshwantpur, Chickpet, Cubbon Park, Sadashiv Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Indira Nagar, Electronic City, Basavangudi, Whitefield and Koramangala. The police officers at these stations have taken a pledge to ensure that women feel safe and confident about reporting sexual violence or harassment. Going forward, each of these police stations will also conduct community events to inform citizens and build a relationship with the community.

Gopika Bashi, an activist with Amnesty International said that the organisation was looking to extend the campaign to other police stations in Bengaluru, and eventually across the country. She added that they would be forming a Citizens Network, to enable others to report instances of sexual abuse. As next steps, Amnesty International would also engage with citizens by setting up virtual kiosks in select neighbourhoods and put up videos, to inform them about the process of filing an FIR. Inviting citizens of Bengaluru to support the initiative, the Commissioner said, “We want you to be a part of the system. We are, after all, your police.” For more information on the initiative, give a missed call on +91 80882 55533 or visit www.readytoreport.in.

AMNESTY International’s new campaign in Bangalore to focus on sexual violence

DNA India

24-Jul-2015

24 Jul 2015

bengaluru

DNA India

AMNESTY International’s new campaign in Bangalore to focus on sexual violence

AMNESTY International India will soon kick start their campaign ‘Bangalore, Get Ready to Report’ that will focus on educating women on how to report and fight cases related to sexual violence.

Speaking to iamin about this initiative, Gopika Bashi, 29, women’s rights activist, AMNESTY International India said, “Ready to Report is our project in association with Bangalore police. We will organise a series of activities across 10 different police stations in the city to ensure that women feel confident about reporting sexual violence. We will be launching it as a community event on Saturday at the Ashok Nagar police station. It is not restricted to women alone. Everyone can come and participate in the various activities taking place tomorrow.”

She added, “There will be a wall painting activity outside the station as well as a kiosk where people will be taught how to file an FIR, which is important for both men and women.”

Top police officials will interact with citizens across age groups. The event will be inaugurated by the city commissioner of police MN Reddy.

Are you ready to report sexual violence?

The Hindu

20-Jul-2015

20 Jul 2015

bengaluru

The Hindu

Are you ready to report sexual violence?

Women activists for long have argued underreporting of sexual violence is due to several reasons, including stigma, lack of a conducive environment to report and inability of the victims to accept that their experience amounts to sexual violence.

To overcome these issues, Amnesty International India’s campaign ‘Ready to Report’ will be implemented on a pilot basis in 10 police stations across the city in partnership with the Bengaluru city police which will comprise interaction with the public and police officers to learn more about reporting sexual violence.

The campaign started in December 2014 aims to ensure that women who chose to report sexual violence can do it without facing prejudice and in a dignified manner. The campaign also points out that a more confident survivor would be more willing to given details which could help in pursuing the case.

Gopika Bashi, women’s rights campaigner for Amnesty International India, said the campaign aims to ensure that survivors of sexual violence should be able to report in an environment that is empowering and non-intimidating. “We also want sexual violence survivors to get justice without any prejudice,” she said.

She pointed out that the inability of people to understand laws, the manner in which they were perceived and treated by authorities as well as stigma associated with sexual violence could be some of the reasons for underreporting of sexual violence cases.

Some events that are being planned are mock FIR filing where a booth will be set up for people to know how an FIR is filed, tour of the police station and a wall painting for women’s safety. The event will take place at the Ashoknagar police station at 11 a.m. on July 25. For details, visit www.readytoreport.in/

Amnesty International India’s campaign ‘Ready to Report’ will be implemented on pilot basis in 10 police stations in Bengaluru

What I learnt about trying to file a sexual harassment complaint to the police

Scroll.in

01-Feb-2015

01 Feb 2015

Scroll.in

What I learnt about trying to file a sexual harassment complaint to the police

I’m looking for an apartment. Earlier this month, I call a broker from my mobile phone, and before he picks up I realise he is not whom I meant to call, so I hang up. But I get three calls from that wrong number, which I don’t pick up. I also start receiving lewd messages and one extremely suggestive one on Whatsapp and even, strangely, on Facebook.

For a few days afterwards, I mull over the idea of reporting this to the police. I think about those things that articles about sexual harassment say often go through the minds of so-called victims: “Was it really that bad? I mean, he didn’t really do anything to me. He’s probably not going to do much else.”

My colleague Divya asks me: “Did you feel harassed?” “Yes,” I reply.

That’s when I decide I want to report ‒ partly because I am angry that this person has left me feeling so powerless and afraid, partly out of curiosity and partly because I want him to know that what he did was just not acceptable.

Isn’t this grand, I think. I work as a women’s rights campaigner at Amnesty International India. Two months ago, I helped set up a website, www.readytoreport.com, outlining how women can file a first information report on sexual violence. I spend the morning running through the facts. I have the evidence. I eat an egg for breakfast. It’s 11.25 am and I have to leave home.

The procedure

I meet Divya outside the police station. We walk in. The constable at the door wears a hat that looks like it’s from an old Western film. He looks up, showing little interest. The head constable asks us to sit down. I begin my story. As I’m recounting the details, I remember a bit on the website about not being ambiguous while registering an FIR. “Be as detailed and explicit as possible,” it says. I show the constable the lewd messages and screenshots of the missed calls I received, and he seems satisfied that the complaint is legitimate.

Another policeman walks in. He calls the number I’ve reported, and gets someone else on the line. He shouts at that person and leaves. The head constable answers a telephone call. “I want to register a complaint,” I say again. I feel like I am standing outside myself and watching myself say this. A woman, if she chooses to report sexual violence, should be able to do so safely, with dignity and without facing prejudice. I know this line all too well. Yesterday, I explained it to a group of volunteers who had come to learn about the campaign.

Out comes the white sheet. Divya volunteers her Parker pen. As the words flow on to the paper, I find myself thinking about how smooth the pen is. Snap out of it, Gopika. You know what happens next. When I’m done writing everything out, Divya volunteers the section under which the FIR could be filed. The constable seems confused and a little annoyed. He consults a few others, and they narrow down to two sections. The constable requests us to come back in the afternoon with copies of the evidence, as the inspector will only be in the office then.

As I walk home, I’m not sure what I feel. It sinks in that I’ve initiated a process that may lead to someone being convicted of a crime against me. I feel a little sick.

Striking again

An hour later, my phone rings. It’s his number. I recognise it. I don’t pick it up, but I panic, and then it stops. In my head I imagine what he might have said, “You dare to report this? I’ll find you and come get you.” Or may be, “Who do you think you are? My father is a local politician. You could disappear tomorrow.” Okay, may be I’ve seen too many films. May be he would have said, “I’m so sorry. I will never do this again. Please don’t complain to the police.”

I call a senior colleague, Ananth, in a state of panic. “What should I do? I am genuinely afraid now.” He comes home and while I am telling him about the morning’s events, the phone rings again. It’s the police. They’ve caught the culprit, it seems. I have to go to the police station. As we step out, all I can think about is curling up in a ball and going to sleep.

Once we reach the station, the sub-inspector informs us that Sujay (not his real name) is in custody. He’s being taken care of by the officers, the sub-inspector tells me. “We all have sisters, you know.” I then gather that he is asking for Sujay to be brought out so that I can see him. I firmly reiterate that I have no interest in seeing this man, ever. Our backs are turned as he is brought out, and there is not an inkling of temptation to turn around and face him. He has never met me in person, and I’m not about to reveal to him how I look.

Ananth turns around to catch a glimpse. They take Sujay back inside. Later, Ananth tells me that he looked like he wanted to apologise to me. I’m glad I didn’t turn around.

The sub-inspector explains what my options are. I can file an FIR, the case will be investigated, and the likelihood is that Sujay will be put in jail for two to three months. If not, I can drop the complaint and he will be given a strict warning.

I sit there with clenched fists trying to understand and process this. Ananth requests the sub-inspector to give me some time. “Take all the time you need, but once you have decided, you can’t come back tomorrow and say you’ve changed your mind,” the sub-inspector says. We step out and head to a coffee shop. I stare at my sandwich. I wish Ananth would just tell me what to do, but I know that he can’t. No one can. “Go with your gut,” he says.

I think about my gut. I think about the campaign. I think about being kind to myself and about what has happened over the past few days. I think about Sujay, who could be “taken care of” in the same off-the-record way that he has been today, if he goes to jail. I try to locate my pain, and realise that it is located not just in what happened but also in the lack of safety that I feel, the sheer exhaustion of making choices and the thought that I am literally in control of changing the course of someone else’s life.

I look up and say, “I don’t want to do it.” I rehash all the reasons I came to the police in the first place. I know the anger will subside. The experience with the police and my colleagues’ support has left me feeling empowered. To some extent, I believe that Sujay will understand the implications and gravity of his actions.

Making choices

We go back to the police station, and the inspector arrives. I’m a familiar face because I’ve come many times to talk to him about the campaign. “Why don’t you want to report?” he asks me. “After all, you of all people should be the brave. Are you afraid of this man?” I explain that I’m not, but I do not want to pursue the matter. He nods and makes me put all this in writing on the same paper that I so vehemently scribbled on in the morning.

Before we leave, I show him the campaign website. Might as well.

As we leave, an old, tired-looking gentleman waiting outside the station comes up to me. “Are you Gopika?” he asks. “Who are you?” I ask aggressively. “I am Sujay’s father. Thank you for not registering a complaint.” I stop hearing what he says. As I watch him rattle off, I feel bad to see him like that. I don’t want to think about what is happening in his household.

I step out into the bustling city. It is dark now. I know I could have made different choices. But I also know that making this choice took a lot of strength and trust in myself.

I know there’s a lot more to do. But I feel at peace.
***

It’s been a few days. Now I can’t help wondering whether I did the right thing. I send what I’ve written about what happened to my colleagues. I have some conversations that allow some reflection on what the campaign would say about the choices that I made. As if “Ready to Report” were a person. Then I remember. The campaign works to first recognise my agency as a woman, to let me make my own choices, to inform me about my options and to try to ensure that the environment I step into, whether it a police station, a hospital or a counselling centre, should all be geared towards empowering me.

The campaign would not stand in judgment of my choice, and it would recognise that reporting sexual violence is not only about bringing a perpetrator to justice. It is also about acknowledging that what I experienced is a violation of my rights, that the reasons for reporting, or not, are varied and not black and white, that what is most critical is that systems need to keep me, the complainant, at the centre of their responses, giving me the room to decide on a course of action.

Gopika Bashi works as the Women’s Rights Researcher and Campaigner at Amnesty International India.

Want to report a sexual crime? Here’s what you need to know

The News Minute

26-Nov-2014

In 2013, 3,09,546 women in India reported some form of sexual violence, which is a 26.7% increase from the previous year- Amnesty International India.

Sexual violence against women in India is rising, however, not all cases of such violence are reported with the police.
The reasons why women survivors are apprehensive about reporting sexual violence can be many. From the stigma attached to the survivors of sexual violence to lack of support from friends or family, registering a complaint with the police might seem to be an arduous task for many.
One of the major reasons why women, who have been victims of sexual violence, do not feel confident enough to file a complaint is because of lack of knowledge about the laws or even about how to file an FIR, according to Amnesty International India.
Sexual violence today is no longer limited to rape. It includes sexual harassment, assault, voyeurism, stalking, trafficking and other forms of rape. An FIR can be registered if a woman faces either of these forms of sexual violence.

In an attempt to raise awareness about reporting sexual violence, Amnesty International India in a recent report lays down the process on how a woman who has experienced sexual violence can register an FIR.
The report titled Ready to Report explains among other things, what is an FIR, who can file an FIR and how to file the FIR.
Here is the report in brief:
An FIR or First Information Report is an account of the crime committed from the survivor’s perspective, and is the first document that needs to be prepared by the police to initiate investigations.
An FIR need not necessarily be filed by a survivor. A witness to the incident can also file an FIR on behalf of the survivor, so can a friend of the survivor who knows the crime in detail. This however needs to be done with the consent of the survivor and her willingness to be part of the investigation once the complaint is registered.
An FIR can be filed in person or even through a call or email by the survivor. The FIR can be lodged in any police station and the complaint will be transferred to the concerned police station.
The police must go to the woman to take her complaint if she is physically or mentally disabled, fully or partially.
In the case of offences like sexual harassment, voyeurism, stalking, rape & gang rape, the report must only be recorded by a woman police officer.

The woman can give her complaint in the written form or even verbally. The officer in charge of the report will have to file a written copy. The sooner an FIR is registered after a crime takes place, the better. Information given in the FIR should be ‘as detailed and explicit as possible’. The detail in the report needs to be cross-checked. One can ask for changes to be made if necessary.
The person filing the FIR will need to sign the final report following which a copy of the report should be sent to the survivor or her representative, who has filed the FIR, within 24 hours. The copy given to the survivor or her representative will contain an FIR number which can be used for future follow-ups regarding the case. The process of filing an FIR is now complete.
The police, under no circumstances, can deny to register an FIR. If one does face such a situation, the complainant can approach a higher authority like an SP or DCP). The District Magistrate, Chief Judicial Magistrate or Chief Metropolitan Magistrate can also be approached if the SP or DCP refuses to take the complaint.
Read Amnesty International India’s report in detail here: Ready to Report

10 Shocking Reasons Why Women Don’t Report Sexual Violence In India

Youth Ki Awaaz

10-Nov-2014

10 Nov 2014

Youth Ki Awaaz

10 Shocking Reasons Why Women Don’t Report Sexual Violence In India

Devi. Mata. Nirbhaya. — The sense of “empowerment” that women in India live with is contrived at many levels. We worship our women as goddesses but only within the narrative of their chaste moral goodness. We respect the authority of a woman as a key decision maker inside the home but only so long as she puts everyone’s needs before hers. We’ve even hailed an unfortunate victim of sexual violence as fearless or as a beti (daughter) of the nation, but instead of asking more women to come out and speak up fearlessly, we still discourage women from leaving home alone.

According to a government survey (National Family Health Survey report — 2005-06), 2 out of 3 women who have ever experienced violence have not only never sought help, but also have never told anyone about the violence.

A recent Twitter chat – #ReadyToReport- hosted by Amnesty International India, on whether women in India are ready to report violence, got me thinking about why rates of reporting sexual violence are so low, despite sexual violence being one of the most talked about issues in the media and society today.

1. Difficulties of Filing a Report

Under Indian law, the police must promptly record complaints, register a report and conduct an investigation on cases related to sexual violence. But instead, what we get when we try to file a report are tiring, overlong procedures, and several unwarranted questions (What were you wearing? Was there anybody else with you? ) The survivor barely understands the procedure, has to bear leering comments from the cops, and is often blamed for the incident occurring in the first place.

2. “Log kya kahenge?”

Women who are subjected to repeated sexual violence and sexual harassment may shy away from standing up against the perpetrator. The fear of social exclusion, further coercion from friends and family and the stressful journey of getting over the “survivor” tag adds to the ordeal. Suman Nalwa, a deputy police commissioner who heads a unit in New Delhi that focuses on crimes against women, said women fear being “labelled as morally loose…They know if they speak up, nobody would support. They internalize it to such an extent that it influences their life choices about where they will go to study, where they will work and when they will go out.”

3. Accepting such Incidents as Part of the Everyday Reality of Being a Woman

It is unfortunate that sexual violence against women is ingrained in our society in a way that it is perceived as part and parcel of being a woman. Incidents of street harassment, in particular, largely go unreported because they are seen as minor offenses, especially when no physical violence has occurred.

4. The Fear of Revenge

The dilemma around reporting sexual violence sometimes hinges on the fear of a backlash from the perpetrator. Filing an FIR can be seen as inviting more violence, rather than as a step towards ending it.

In the Madhyamgram Rape Case(West Bengal), a 16-year old girl was gang raped on October 26, and after she lodged a police complaint, she was gang-raped a second time the next day. The story does not end here. On December 23, she was allegedly set ablaze. The police recorded the death as a suicide, while her family said that she had been murdered. Her father further complained that the police had asked them to go back to Bihar. The apparent failure of the police in cases like these can discourage women from reporting violence.

5. Blaming the Clothes/Place as an Invitation to Rape

A woman’s clothing or her being at a certain location at a certain time is often — outrageously – blamed for leading to sexual violence against her. What makes matters worse is how such statements are made by political leaders.

“What is the need for roaming at night with men who are not relatives? This should be stopped.” -Abu Azmi, Samajwadi Party leader on 2012 Delhi gang rape

“One of the reasons behind the increase in incidents of eve-teasing is short dresses and short skirts worn by women. This in turn instigates young men.” -Chiranjeet Chakraborty, Trinamool Congress legislator

The long drawn out investigation process after registering a report can also be a reason why women don’t report sexual violence. The long process can lead to re-traumatisation for the survivor, and can demoralise her from raising her voice.

‘Here is the routine of the identification parade that Megha is told to follow. There are separate line-ups of seven men, and the survivor has to pick the accused by touching him on the arm. She then has to go to a corner of the room, and announce loudly what the suspect did to her.

And this is what Megha does on September 4, in a room full of men that include her attackers, without any women officers present to aid her. She touches the men on the arm to identify them, and then says, Isne mera balatkaar kiya (He sexually assaulted me). She repeats this four times over.’

-From an account of a friend of the Shakti Mills gang rape survivor

7. Attitude of the Police

Suzette Jordan narrates her awful experience while filing a complaint – “They laughed at me. They didn’t take me seriously”

There are many other allegations of police apathy and worse, including an incident of a gang-rape in Uttar Pradesh’s Ambedkar Nagar. When the victim lodged a police complaint, she was raped again, allegedly by two police personnel.

8. The Lack of Space for Dialogue

Educational institutions are also often guilty of not initiating enough dialogue with students about sexual violence or the processes in place to report incidents to the police or other authorities. Often they themselves perpetrate the culture of victim blaming, and do not create open environments for discussion through trainings or workshops with employees or students.

9. Lack of Family/Spousal Support

Lodging a complaint about violence inflicted upon a woman can immediately transform her into a “victim”, leading to humiliation and counter accusations. Her family or partner may also discourage her from raising her voice, to “save face”.

A supportive family structure can go a long way in ensuring that violence against women is reported and the prejudice surrounding such reporting is done away with.

10. Long Judicial Processes

The sheer length of the entire process, from lodging an FIR to getting justice can be a huge deterrent to reporting such incidents of violence.

The need of the hour is swifter and more efficient judicial processes that can help restore faith in the system.

Amnesty International India is soon launching a campaign to increase awareness on reporting and to facilitate women to report sexual violence safely, with dignity and without facing prejudice.

Start the conversation and share your experiences on reporting using the hashtag, #readytoreport or tell us in the comments sections, ‘Are women ready to report sexual violence in India? Why or why not?’